Archive for month: March, 2011

Did anyone read the article in last week’s Westender titled “Internet Killed the Video Store”? I don’t think that I need to go into detail as the title pretty much says it all. As you all know it’s been tough times for our business as of late and it seems that things are not getting any easier. There are just too many options for people to get their entertainment nowadays. Since that article ran, the fine shop Happy Bats on Main St. has closed its doors and I know of three other stores that will be shutting down operations between now and the end of the summer. I am pleased that we are still able to keep going but as mentioned, business is just not what it used to be even a scant 2 years ago. I love this business and just about everything about it – the films, the employees, our great customers and their dogs and just about everything in between and we will keep going as long as you keep coming. I put myself in my customers shoes – where would I go to get the fine selection of films provided by friendly knowledgeable staff if there are no more video stores? We have had such great support throughout the years and I hope that this support can keep us going and enable us to bring quality films to the people.

Tuesday is my favorite day of the week as that’s the day that the new films hit the shelves and when we have a great week like this week, I get excited to get these films into your hands. It is easily the best week of the year so far and I hope that you all can find some quality entertainment to brighten up your days.

Oh and one other note – there will be a slight increase in the price of the New Release TV stuff – $4.00 per disk, up from $3.50. I hope that you all can handle that. If you can’t just think of all of our other fantastic deals we have going on – 2 for $7 Sunday to Thursday or 2 New Releases for $10, 5 old films for $8.00 on Wednesdays, the pre-paid punch card, swell new Black Dog T-Shirts, the mind reels!

New Releases for Tuesday March 29th

American Violet – Well reviewed heavy duty drama about a single African-American mother who struggles to clear her name after being wrongly accused and arrested for dealing drugs in an impoverished town in Texas. Impoverished Texas town; I was looking for a good vacation spot this summer.

Birdemic : Shock and Terror – One of the worst films ever put to celluloid as they makers of this thing proudly state. It seems the for reasons unknown and gaggle of vultures and condors or some other carnivorous birds attack a sleepy little town somewhere. Sleepy little, vicious bird riddled town; another choice place to vacation.

Black Swan – Probably the best “ballet dancer spirals downwards into a morass of insanity” film ever made. The lovely and scarily skinny Natalie Portman won some kind of award for playing the doomed dancer but it’s Vincent Cassel who, in my opinion, is the best thing in this gripping thriller. I was really bagged when I watched this and was thinking “do I really want to watch a friggin movie about ballet?” Glad I did as I was enthralled from the beginning. One of the best films I’ve seen this year by far. Also on the Blu-Ray.

Fair Game – Pretty solid political thriller based on the true account of a couple – he’s Sean Penn and he works various consulting jobs and she’s Naomi Watts and she’s an undercover spy. When Sean Penn doesn’t give the evil Bush cronies the info they want on some bogus sale of uranium to Iraq, Naomi Watts’ cover is revealed by some Republican scumbags. I still have a hard time with the fact that none the Bush criminals have ever been brought up on charges for all of the various heinous crimes they committed. Makes me so mad! That said, this is a good film although it gets a bit preachy at the end. I’m looking at you, Sean Penn! Also on the Blu Ray.

Heartless – An outcast dude – because he has a large unfortunate birthmark on his face – discovers that there are demons roaming the streets, eating people and just generally demonizing some run down part of London. Again, another great vacation idea! Really looking forward to checking this one out! And it’s on the blu ray.

Leaving – Kristin Scott Thomas is a well to do woman in France who decides to leave (get it, the title of the film) her family for some dude. Only in France..

Mad Men Season 4 – Don Draper continues to smoke, drink and fuck his way through 1960’s New York. And wear great suits! Love this freakin’ show! And it’s on the blu-ray as well.

Made in Dagenham – Sally Hawkins stars as a woman who leads a 1968 strike at the Ford Dagenham car plant, where female workers walked out in protest against sexual discrimination. Word has it that’s its quite excellent. Word. Blu Ray = yes!

The Man from Nowhere – South Korean flick about a quiet pawnshop keeper with a violent past who takes on a drug and organ trafficking ring in hope of saving the child who is his only friend. Word has it that it’s an excellent thriller with a great knife fight. Who doesn’t enjoy a sweet knife fight every know and then? And on Blu Ray as well.

Tangled – Very well received animated fare based on the Rupunzel fairy tale. I imagine this one includes talking and/or singing animals and/or hair. On blu Ray as well.

Treme Season 1 – Most excellent show about life in New Orleans after the big hurricane and what not tried to wreck the town a few years back. Brought to you by the cats who made The Wire so you know its going to be quality.

IP Man on Blu Ray has also just arrived.

Coming Next Week

• Crime D’Amour
• La Nostra Vida
• Little Fockers
• Not Your Typical Bigfoot Movie
• Taqacores
• Tron Legacy

Recently Viewed and Recommended

• Black Swan
• Fair Game
• Treme S 1
• Mad Men S 4
• Made in Dagenham
• Dogtooth
• The Fighter
• Unstoppable
• Carlos the Jackal
• Jackass 3
• Inside Job
• Four Lions
• The Infidel
• Lemmy

Interwhats?!

Mark down April 22nd if you want to be part of a bizarre evening. The Rio on Broadway will be host to “An Evening with the Quaids” as Randy and his wife, Evi storm the theatre to present a viewing of Real Time and then a work in progress print of the Quaids Star Whackers with a Q and A and maybe even some singing and dancing. Funny to see this show up in The Onion. Should be quite the evening. http://www.avclub.com/articles/randy-quaid-will-also-turn-his-paranoia-and-massiv,53746/

So did Natalie Portman do all of her own dancing in Black Swan or didn’t she. Better yet, who really cares? http://www.avclub.com/articles/natalie-portman-hardly-danced-at-all-in-black-swan,53749/

Here’s a list of the most profitable films in history. You might be surprised and repulsed to find out the film in the number 1 slot. http://www.movieline.com/2011/03/how-much-did-you-contribute-to-the-15-most-profitable-films-grosses.php?_r=true

That’s it for this edition, folks. Have a great week and remember, keep watching.

Black Dog Video

Black Dog Video

Black Dog just turned 15! Holy hotdogs that’s a long time. What started out as our cute little baby has transformed into an unruly teenager. I don’t have the best memory in all of the land but I can still remember our first day way back in 1996. It was a Saturday and it was at the original location across the street from the current store on Cambie Street. We had astroturf for carpeting, a handful of films to rent and unbridled enthusiasm in our hearts. I thought that it would be a good idea to write the numbers of the films on dog biscuits, shellack them and velcro them to the shelves in front of the corresponding boxes. Nice funny idea, something different, no? It lasted approximately 30 minutes or when the first dog came in and promptly ate all of the biscuits on the bottom row. Didn’t really think that one through it seems. It’s been a great ride so far and while things have changed in our industry, I still hope that we can remain a vital part of the neighborhoods that we are in and continue to provide you fine folk with some great films, wonderful service and witty conversation for many years to come.

I hate to disappoint those of you who were looking forward to that pizzeria opening up on Kitchener and Victoria (I know that I was) but it seems that some “miscommunication” with the owners and the pizza dudes over a liquor license has put the kibosh on the joint getting off the ground. That’s too bad.

And just a reminder – Black Dog T-Shirts are available at both locations for a mere $20 plus tax. There’s a visual at the bottom of the newsletter so you can see how sweet they are.

And one more reminder – deals deals deals! Sunday to Thursday – 2 films for $7 (one new, one old or 2 old) or 2 New Releases for $10. Wednesdays – 5 old films for $8! and don’t forget the great punch card offer – $35 will net you 10 films! Sweet deals indeed!

New Releases for Tuesday March 8th

Every Day – Family drama/comedy set in some place called New York. Has a pretty good cast – Liev Schreiber, Helen Hunt, Eddie Izzard, Brian Dennehy and others walking around and talking and acting and such.

A Film Unfinished – Doc about the Warsaw Ghetto in WWII. Supposed to be quite amazing in a haunting kind of way – go figure. What makes this movie interesting is it’s a film about an unfinished film about the people behind as well as in front of the camera that exposes the extent of how cinematic manipulation can and does change the way we look at historic images. Got that? Good.

Four Lions – Comedy about 4 British jihadists and their attempt to blow a lot of shit up using bombs tied to crows. Word has it that it’s very funny (Its says so at least 15 times on the box!) No surprise that this didn’t get any kind of theatrical release here as the subject matter might be too much for many weak-minded people. Can’t wait to check this one out.

Inside Job – Oscar winner for best doc, this one takes aim at the lying, disgusting sacks of shit who orchestrated the financial coup d’état and taxpayer bailout of 2008. As the guy who made the film said at his acceptance speech at the Oscars, ” Forgive me, I must start by pointing out that three years after our horrific financial crisis caused by financial fraud, not a single financial executive has gone to jail, and that’s wrong.” Looking forward to watching this to get the blood boiling. I like boiled blood, OK?

Jackass 3 – And on the opposite end of the spectrum comes….Jackass. More of the same except that everyone is a little bit older and more broken down. Good stuff (I saw it in the theatre in the 3-D – not in 3-D on the DVD though). Might make a good double bill with Inside Job as you may need this to temper the rage you will feel after watching. (Inside Job, not Jackass – well you may feel rage at Jackass but those are your issues).

Lemmy -What can one say about Lemmy? Even if you’re not a Motorhead fan (who isn’t a Motorhead fan?) word has it that this doc about the famous frontman is terribly entertaining and awesomely awesome.

Morning Glory – Broadcast News type comedy drama finds the lovely Rachel McAdams, the lovelier Harrison Ford and Diane Keaton (she’s a little lovely in her own right) as a bunch of people working on a down and out TV show or something like that. I thought that Morning Glory referred to something naughty? Guess I’ll have to watch to find out. Also on the Blu Ray.

The Next Three Days – Russell Crowe (yes thee Russell Crowe!) stars in this thriller about a dude who wants to bust his wife out of prison. May I suggest the classic nail file in the cake ploy? Do people still bust out of prison or get busted out of prison? Written and directed by the dude who made Crash. Remake of the pretty good French thriller Anything for Her. Also on the Blu Ray.

Room in Rome – A couple of women spend a lot of time naked in a hotel room in Rome in this steamy romantic lesbian number. Contest at the end of the Newsletter for a couple of copies!

Tales from Earthsea – Japanamation in the Miyazaki vein (It’s directed by his son, so yes, it’s definitely in that vein) that has wizards and dragons and such doing stuff.

The Walking Dead Season 1 – Pretty cool zombie apocalypse TV thriller that follows some people after the outbreak of said zombie apocalypse. I must get my zombie apocalypse survival kit together soon. Also on the Blu Ray.

The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia – Doc about this crazy criminal family – The Whites (duh) – who were famous for things such as shoot-outs, robberies, gas-huffing , drug dealing, pill popping, murders, and tap dancing. Sounds like a fun filled time!

Hitting the Sheets Next Week

• Skyline
• The Fighter
• Inside Hanna’s Suitcase
• No One Knows About Persian Cats
• Hereafter
• Chevolution
• A Marine Story
• Carlos the Jackal
• The Temptation of St. Tony
• Sharktopus

Recently Viewed and Recommended

• Walking Dead Season 1
• Jackass 3
• 127 Hours
• Nurse Jackie
• Enter the Void
• Dogtooth
• Social Network
• Mesrine 1 and 2

What Else?

As mentioned we have a few copies of Room in Rome – http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1263750/ – to give away. Today’s skill testing question? Well since I know nothing of the film or actresses let’s just go with “What’s the fastest land animal?”

Tarantino’s next film looks like it could be cool. A western. The Coen’s True Grit was most excellent so let’s hope that QT knows what he’s doing (he usually does).
http://www.aintitcool.com/node/48669

Ever hear of this guy named Charlie Sheen? Seems he’s a bit crazy. And a bit over media saturated. Need proof? http://www.avclub.com/articles/this-moment-in-charlie-sheen-sheen-is-a-radio-stat,52726/

Here’s what the funky new BD shirts look like. Also comes in a nice blue. You like?

Have a great week. Keep watching!

Black Dog Video